Working It Outhttps://brataloid.wordpress.com
Learning to practice radical self-care in a fast-paced world.Thu, 24 May 2018 17:08:45 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s0.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngWorking It Outhttps://brataloid.wordpress.com
2014 New Year’s Resolutionshttps://brataloid.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/2014-new-years-resolutions/
https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/2014-new-years-resolutions/#respondWed, 01 Jan 2014 04:58:13 +0000http://brataloid.wordpress.com/?p=107If at first I don’t succeed, I must try… try again.

]]>https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/2014-new-years-resolutions/feed/0brataloidIf Only I Could Be A Veganhttps://brataloid.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/if-only-i-could-be-a-vegan/
https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/if-only-i-could-be-a-vegan/#respondSun, 20 Jan 2013 17:06:14 +0000http://workingitout.me/?p=101

Image courtesy of Goat Girl

I’ve thought about going vegan before, so when I watched Vegucated the other day I was really inspired. I told my boyfriend, who just groaned, and promptly started eating only fruits, veggies, grains, nuts and seeds. I was expecting to feel lighter and cleaner immediately, but it had the opposite effect and I was reminded of why being a vegetarian doesn’t work for me.

As much as I’d like to save all the little farm animals from the tortures of commercial farming, I need to eat meat. So, I’m doing the next best thing…making conscious choices about the meat I buy.

Image courtesy of Patrizio Martorana

Since I got laid off in November, I can’t afford to buy 100% grass feed, free range all the time, but I have started shopping at a local grocer who sells locally raised beef and poultry from Painted Hills, Draper Valley Farms and Willamette Egg Farms. I’ve looked them all up and, while they may not be perfect, I feel pretty confident that they care about the animals and the quality of their products. Plus, they provide levels of products so I can upgrade as I become gainfully employed again.

]]>https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/if-only-i-could-be-a-vegan/feed/0brataloidOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAchickensCalming Your Nerves Inconspicuously at Workhttps://brataloid.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/calming-your-nerves-inconspicuously-at-work/
https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/calming-your-nerves-inconspicuously-at-work/#respondTue, 08 Jan 2013 19:31:00 +0000http://brataloid.wordpress.com/?p=98I just sat in on a lovely webinar by Dr. Eno called 5 Ways To Transform Your Stress Level in Under 10 Minutes and learned some new techniques. I don’t want to give away all of Dr. Eno’s secrets, but there is one technique that seems particularly well suited for the office.

Image Courtesy of Ariel da Silva Parreira

It’s called 4 Corner Breathing and here are the instructions:

Next time you’re waiting for a file to download or a preparing for a big meeting, stop and look at the upper left hand corner of your computer screen and count to five while you inhale.

Hold your breath and slowly move your eyes along the top edge to the upper right hand corner of your screen.

Exhale to the count of five.

Continue to work your way around your computer screen in this way until you feel calm and centered.

I recently came across The Institute for the Psychology of Eating and watched a couple of videos by Marc David, which hit home for me. His basic premise is that eating issues are really a doorway to a deeper relationship with the divine. That digestive issues may be the body’s way of telling us we’ve lost sight of our true purpose to act as a conduit for God’s love.

Truthfully, it makes me feel very uncomfortable to talk about God. Although I grew up going to church, spent summers at Christian camp and even went to Bible school for a year in Sweden after high school, I’ve never been comfortable talking about this part of my life with strangers.

However, participating in a world religions course at the First Unitarian Church of Portland this fall, reminded me that it’s a essential part of our humanity and is worth discussion because there are many different ways to commune with God, just as there’s no single diet that works for everyone.

So, let’s discuss. What do you think about the connection between God and food?

]]>https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/are-eating-issues-a-doorway-to-the-divine/feed/0brataloidPicking Up Where I Left Offhttps://brataloid.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/picking-up-where-i-left-off/
https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/picking-up-where-i-left-off/#respondTue, 01 Jan 2013 01:40:58 +0000http://brataloid.wordpress.com/?p=92I can’t believe it’s been a little over a year since I’ve posted to this blog. In some ways a lot has changed and in others I feel like I’m right back where I was this time last year.

Giving up sugar and grains has been incredibly difficult and I’m still working on it because I really believe it is the best thing I can do for my health. So, starting tomorrow, I’m kicking off the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and plan to report my progress here.

Wish me luck!

]]>https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/picking-up-where-i-left-off/feed/0brataloidDrinking Enough H20https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/drinking-enough-h20/
https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/drinking-enough-h20/#respondTue, 04 Oct 2011 04:51:13 +0000http://brataloid.wordpress.com/?p=82Challenge number three from trainer Kim – drinking three of these a day is proving a little more challenging than I thought:

Turns out carrying a water bottle around everywhere you go isn’t the same as drinking it!

]]>https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/drinking-enough-h20/feed/0brataloidIMG_20111003_181252Kicking it Off With Trainer Kimhttps://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/starting-again-with-trainer-kim/
https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/starting-again-with-trainer-kim/#respondSun, 02 Oct 2011 16:14:44 +0000http://brataloid.wordpress.com/?p=76Yesterday I met with Trainer Kim for the first time. I signed up for her introductory package for Healthy Foods To You and am so excited to be working with her.

My first assignment was to try on my skinny jeans and take a before picture. Amazingly, I was able to slide them on and get them buttoned, but I’ve got a ways to go before I can feel comfortable wearing them out in public again.

My second assignment was to find a bikini that I’d like to wear for the trip to Hawaii we’re planning in February. So here’s the pic I cut out of Women’s Health and stuck to my fridge as motivation:

]]>https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/starting-again-with-trainer-kim/feed/0brataloidSkinny Jeans Take 1MotivationGiving Up Grains?https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/giving-up-grains/
https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/giving-up-grains/#respondMon, 11 Jul 2011 20:25:27 +0000http://brataloid.wordpress.com/?p=72A friend came over to go for a hike this weekend. Afterward we went to the farmers market for lunch and she brought her own salad because she recently gave up grains from her diet and wasn’t sure if she would be find something to eat; which surprisingly she couldn’t. She swears it makes her feel much better and of course recommended that I try it.

I’m not ready to give up my oatmeal or brown rice, but I do feel like I could cut out flour. My only concern about this is inconveniencing J. Right now our pantry is full of breads, pastas, cereals, crackers, etc. He loves his cookies, cakes, French toast, waffles, etc. Who doesn’t? How can I make him foods he will love, that will make us both feel good?

]]>https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/giving-up-grains/feed/0brataloidfields of grainIs it Snack Time Yet?https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/is-it-snack-time-yet/
https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/is-it-snack-time-yet/#respondThu, 07 Jul 2011 21:34:30 +0000http://brataloid.wordpress.com/?p=68For some reason, I have the most difficult time waiting until I’m actually hungry to eat my afternoon snack. I start thinking about it as soon as I’m done eating lunch.

Today I’m planning to have a Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bar.

I’m still full from my left over Tom Kah Gai and rice at lunch and I know it’s essential to wait until later since I won’t get to eat until 7 p.m. at the earliest, but I really want it now. Maybe I eat lunch to early?

]]>https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/is-it-snack-time-yet/feed/0brataloidWeek 2: Avoiding the Candy Dish at Workhttps://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/week-2-avoiding-the-candy-dish-at-work/
https://brataloid.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/week-2-avoiding-the-candy-dish-at-work/#respondWed, 06 Jul 2011 15:49:05 +0000http://brataloid.wordpress.com/?p=62I honestly never thought I’d be able to break the after lunch candy habit I developed almost immediately after starting at my new job 11 months ago. Once I discovered the drawer of chocolate I was hooked. I would occasionally make it through a day or two without giving in if there was nothing I liked in the drawer, but as soon as the good stuff was back I’d more than make up with it.

However, since I started my “sugar experiment” a little over two weeks ago, I’ve managed to break free. The first couple of days were tough and occasionally I still think about the bars in there, but I’m so happy to be liberated from those cravings.

Now I want to work on cutting out the sugar on evenings and weekends and saving it for only special occasions.